CITRUS FRUITS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 84, 9 April 1940, Page 6

CITRUS FRUITS.

In another column we publish a spirited reply by the Minister for Marketing, the Hon. Walter Nash, to a sub-leader which appeared recently criticising the control of citrus fruits upon the New Zealand market. The Minister's satisfaction with the working of the system is unfortunately not shared by merchants, retailers or consumers. The Minister does not explain why the quality of lemons in the shops has fallen while the price has risen since the Government took control of the fruit on ttie market. In April last he definitely stated that the price to the purchaser would be 1/ a dozen. Every buyer knows that that is not the price to-day and that lemons of indifferent quality cost him from 1/6 to 2/ a dozen. There have been continuous complaints from the producers and the public, while many shopkeepers have almost despaired of satisfying their customers. Large quantities of lemons formerly available to the market seem to have disappeared, thus destroying much of the trade, and already the cultivation of the trees in various orchards has been discontinued. This movement may go further, as numerous growers have publiely stated that they will not attempt to maintain production under present conditions. The Minister has thrown the whole blame | for the orange shortage upon war conditions, but the failure of the efforts to maintain imports at a level to satisfy Dominion needs goes deeper than that. It has been Dominionwide, and the lack of adequate supplies has not been confined to the shipment to which Mr. Nash specifically referred. Formerly merchants quickly remedied shortages when they developed—subject, of course, to the limitations imposed by past Governments on some sources of supply— but with the cessation of free marketing the prompt application of remedies is not effectively accomplished. Inquiries made in the South have revealed that Californian lemons have been marketed there in the past few weeks, a position which is regarded as indicating the extent of the damage caused to the local lemon market by restrictive action. Many people have been puzzled as to the reasons for importing the Californian lemons when Californian oranges have been off our market for i the first time for fifty years.